Things are getting rrrruff at dog park, founder contends

CHARLOTTE AGUILAR

Published 6:00 pm, Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Two-legged rule-breakers are “ruining” Officer Lucy Dog Park, Teri Prats told fellow members of the Bellaire Parks and Recreation Advisory Board last week in a plea to the city to codify now-unenforceable rules and to get police involved in solving disputes.

Among the offensive situations Prats detailed were:

• A group that brings a champagne picnic brunch to the park on Sunday mornings in violation of a “no food” rule;

• A newborn strapped onto a parent in the park where dogs are off-leash and playful and the minimum age for youngsters is 12 years old;

• Children under the age of 12 routinely in the park;

• Youngsters over 12 playing hardball and touch football in the park;

• A man who brings his dog — and a firearm stuck in the back waistband of his pants.

“When we were thinking about this park, we were worried about a child putting his hand through the fence,” said board member Kay Humphries after hearing Prats’ litany, “and now we’ve got babies in the park.”

“It’s 98 percent okay,” said Prats, who was instrumental in working with the city to create the park before being named to the board, “but these are the type of people who don’t care what you do or what you say. They’re aiming for a confrontation.”

Parks and Recreation Director Jane Dembski said that because the rules aren’t part of the city code of ordinances, ability to enforce them is limited.

She suggested increased signage might address some of the concerns.

Getting Bellaire police involved was raised several times during the Parks Board’s discussion. But City Manager Bernie Satterwhite told the Examiner that is not an option.

“It’s primarily the responsibility of residents to police themselves,” he said.

He said the city is studying whether it should codify a whole range of items that are now “rules,” such as a ban on smoking in the parks and banning dogs in all parks other than the designated Officer Lucy bark park, that could turn them into legal violations.